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Letters Patent No. l'.3,892,.dateal January'QS, 1868.

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TO ALL'WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: 7

,Be it known that we, Lrsnnonn HILL and ADELAIDE R; HILL, both of the cityand county of Alexandria,

in the State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improved ,Cradle; and we do hereby declare the fol lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof sullicie'nt to enable one skilled in the artto which our invention appertains to construct and use the some, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation. Figure 2 is aside elevation. Figure 3 is a bottom view.

In the drawings, similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In this invention the cradle ha-8 3 longitudinal vibrating motion, its body being kept at all times perfectly horizontal. The body audhead of the child are thus prevented from rolling fronrsido to-side,ond all the injurious clients of the old-fashioned cradle are avoided. In addition to this, the cradle isllerc soconstrnoted that it can be instantly changed from'a cradle to a childs wagon, at pleasure.

For along time physicians havebeen aware that the old-fashioned cradle for rocking children is productive of very-injurious efli'ects upon the child, and of late years so strong'lias beenthis' conviction in the popular mind that the cradle, as a means for quieting the childand lulling him to sleep, seems gradually going out of use.

The injury results chiefly from thc'fect that in rocking, the child's headrolls from side to side, twisting its:

neck first one way and thentheother. Such a motion is not only permanently injurious to children of a tender age, but so far as it tends to cause their heads to roll in the manner described, is at the some time annoying to them,

retarding rather than facilitating the approach of sleep. It is to avoid all these injurious effects that we have invented the improved cradle which is the subject of this applicatiomand in which the rolling motion is aiioided as herein explained.

In the drawings, A'Arepresent the body of the cradle, supported upon two axles, G G, in the manner of a. wagon, or, more properly, in the manner of a railroachcar, inasmuch as the axles'are designed to turn in their bearings. The axles are provided at each of their extremities with a rocker, B, firmly fixed to them, and a. 1 wheel, 0, revolving loosely on them like a common wagon-wheel, the rocker and wheel being keptfrom wearing against each other by means of a collar on oneor the other, or awasher or shoulder on the-axle betwcenthem.

The radius of the wheel is lessthan the shortest distance from the axle to the tread of the rocker, so that when the'cradlc'restson the rockers, as seen in fig. 1, the wheels do not touch the floor When the-axles and rockers are turned bottom up, however, the cradle rests upon the wheels, as seen in fig. Z dud maybe hauled round from place-to place by the ohild,-with perfect ease, answering every purpose of a toy wagon. -Whcn thus.turned' up out of the way, the rockers may be fasten'ed'in that position by any suitable means. Pcrhapsthe simplest and bestadjustuient will be that shown in fig, 3,.in whichD is a. bar, pivoted at d, and swinging on the pivot, as shown in black and red lines. The axles, at points'on a line with the pivot 61, are made square, and the ends of the bar D,'when the latter is brought against the axles, as shown in black lines, prevent the rockers from moving from the position'shown in fig. :2. When tho bar D is in the pohition shown in red lines in fig. 3,th'e axles and rockers are free to move. The black lines show the position of the bar D nhen the cradle rests on the wheels, and the red lincsshow its position when the cradle rests on the rockers. Any other means of fastening the rockers in position may be used, however, that will answer the purpose as well. On the front end of the cradle is a loop or link, e, in which to fasten a cord or tongueflf itshould be desired, when the instrulnentis employed as a wagon. I v v One objectjnthis invention is to entirely do away with the rolling motion of the cradle, andtosubstitnte instead of its. longitudinal reciprocating motion, so controlled that the body of the cradle is caused to remain at all times in a'horizontn-l position. In producing such ni'motion we do not wish to limit ourselves to the particular means above described, but may, in lieu ofit, employ a device in which the body of the cradle is suspended by cords or arms at or near each end, so as to swing'longitudinally upon the cordsor arms, while alwaysmaimmining 'a. horizontalposition. When thus constructed, the cords-o'rarms may. be attached to rollers, or other-J 'wisemadc adjustable, so that by shortening or raising them the height of the cradl'e'from the floor can be regulated, as well 'as the lengthof the are through which'the body of the cradlexvillswing, and'so that at-the same time, therapidity with which the cradle will svving hack and forth can be adjusted at pleasure.

A cradle'constructed asshown inlthe.drawingyand working upon two axles, supported by four rockers, l1'as,'hesides theimproved motion, several importantadvantagw over the old formofjcradle, among which may be mentioned the fact that it cannot be upset, and the child thrown upon the floor, by rocking it violently; neither will it tip down vtihen the ehildfattempts to sit or standnp in it, or climb over its side, thereby giving .himv a fall, and, perhaps,-a serious injury,'hut nnder all circnmstalnces it keeps its horizontal'position, and is perfectlv safe for the-child to climb overinany manner. I 7

H it is desired that the motionof the';cradle should be increased to a greater extent than is practicable when the'axle .hears directly in the rocker-s as above described, it may be made to hear 'in tho top of per pendicular arms or standards, projecting upwards from the rockers at the centieof their upper edges, andwhen such standards are used, the axles'may be dispensed with altogether, and the top of the standard may he pivoted to the sides of the cradle, so that it will swing back and forth betn'ee'nthemjust as it now-swin'gs on the rockers,

only ,withan increased motion.

It is 'perhapsunneeessary to a dd that'thejournal's, or the whole axle, may'he made of iron, brass, or any, other metal, composition, or substance, which will diminish friction, and give'thedeviee an'easy, uniform motion back and forth. If desired, the axles or' the front and rear rockers maybe connected bya rod.

"The invention may he applied to any form of cradle or crib.

Having. thus described our invention, wheres claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

' 1. A cradle, so constructed and operating that it vibrates longitudinally, the body of the cradle always keeping a horizontal position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. I

- In connection with a.-eradle,.op'erating as above descrihed,-we claim the axles G G, arranged transverselj' under the body of the cradle, and having rockers, B B B, attached to their extremities, and operating in the manner and for the purposes substantially as specified. v

3;, We claim'the combination of the cradle-body A with the rockers B Band wheels C Q, when the parts i are s'o'constructed and eonneetedrthat the devicemay be adjusted to serve either as a cradle or a. wagon, substantially in the mannez deseribed. l I Y LYSANDER HILL,

ADELAIDE R. HILL.

-Witnesses:

G. F. BROWN, NATH'AN 'KJ Etnswonrn. 

